The unprecedented destruction of housing in Gaza hasn’t been seen since World War II, the UN says

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations says the world hasn’t seen anything like the unprecedented destruction of housing in Gaza since World War II, and it would take at least until 2040 to restore the homes devastated in Israel’s bombing and ground offensive if the conflict ended today. The U.N. assessment released Thursday said the social and economic impact of the war launched after Hamas’ surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7 has been increasing “in an exponential manner.” It called the level of casualties – 5% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population — “unprecedented” in such a short time. By mid-April, it said, over 33,000 Palestinians had been killed.